The Universe Is Always On Our Side
- sharidworkinsmith
- Oct 7
- 9 min read
Especially when we think it isn't...
A funny thing happened on my way to New Jersey recently…
Well, it wasn’t funny, at least not to me, not at first. But honestly, I’m still smiling about it.
I was traveling to New Jersey for a weekend of mediumship training and mentorship, something I gratefully get to do at least once a year. This time, it was easier for me to fly into la Guardia but, when I landed and went to order an Uber or Lyft, the prices were so high, I decided to rent a car instead.
It shouldn’t have been a big deal, right? I had only carry-on luggage and I walked off the plane and right out to the rental car shuttle pickup area. It took almost an hour for a shuttle to arrive and pick up myself and one other gentleman. By this time, both of us were understandably frustrated but, when I got to the counter the person behind it was very nice and got me taken care of relatively quickly. When they asked where I was going, I explained that I would be leaving the state and heading to New Jersey. A white “Toyota something or other” appeared and, wanting to get on the road ahead of rush hour I didn’t take the time that I should have; to look at the car and make sure it didn’t have any damage before I drove away. I synced up my phone, set the GPS to New Jersey and off I went.
All of that took so long, the traffic was steadily increasing, and the trip took longer than I had hoped. I finally arrived at the hotel, checked in and ordered take-out from one of my favorite local restaurants. As I walked back to the car, food in hand, I noticed it. Damage to the rear bumper that I knew was not my fault. Great, now I was stressing out over this. I knew I would be blamed when I returned the car. Since I didn’t mention it to the attendant before I left, I had no way of proving I didn’t cause the damage. I was upset, I was annoyed and frustrated with myself.
As I sat in my hotel room, trying to enjoy my food, I realized I could continue to stress or I could ask the Universe for help and leave the rest to them. Thankfully, that is what I chose to do.
I said to myself, “I don’t want to be in this car. I don’t like this, and I feel very uncomfortable now.” I said it out loud to the Universe, my angels, guides, loved ones in spirit, and whoever was listening. “Please help me get out of this car or please make it so that when I return the car, it goes smoothly and there are no issues with this rear bumper or anything else. I trust that you can see the situation better than I can and thank you for helping me work it out.” That was it. I asked and I thanked.
I have long since learned the pointlessness of, “Why does this always happen to me?” or “Why me, why is it always me?” Through the years I’ve learned, it isn’t always me. We all get stuck with the short end of the stick from time to time and griping about doesn’t solve anything. I’ve also learned that most of the time, these things that “happen” are happening for us, rather than to us. That usually means the Universe (or someone up there) is trying to get my attention or get me to see something I hadn’t yet noticed. I’ve learned to trust them and that usually makes things go a lot smoother. I asked for help and let it go, trusting they’d figure it out, which almost always ends up to be for my benefit as well.
The hotel where I stay when I come to New Jersey is less than a quarter of a mile away from The Journey Within Spiritualist Church, where I needed to be. I pulled out of the hotel parking lot and made a left turn to the traffic light at the off ramp for the highway. I noticed a police officer in the black SUV parked on the side of the road and didn’t think much about it when he pulled in behind me as I made the right turn. The turn for the church was three blocks down but, as soon as I went under the highway, he flashed his lights and I pulled over.
He asked, of course, for my license and registration and I explained I didn’t have a registration since it was a rental car. He said that the tags on the car had expired more than two months ago and that the car was not showing an inspection sticker which was required in New Jersey. I mentioned again that this was a rental car, and I had no knowledge of the car’s status other than this is what had been provided at the rental counter. I showed him the confirmation e-mail, and he brought back two citations, thankfully neither of them for me.
The officer was incredibly nice, and I am profoundly aware that, in that moment, I was a nicely dressed white woman with no discernable accent. He explained that the tickets were for the rental car company and that I should just leave them in the car so they would have them when the car was returned. He also mentioned it was within his rights to impound the car and tow it away. I looked at him and said. “I’m perfectly willing to give it to you because I don’t want to be driving around in a car that’s illegal to drive.” Getting pulled over now was one thing, but it would be much worse if I were to be pulled over again, on my way back to la Guardia, and be delayed to the point where I miss my flight home.
I told him he could have the car if he wanted it, though I would need a ride for those three blocks to my destination. He smiled, saying he would gladly give me a ride but didn’t feel a need to impound the car, and that was it.
Getting pulled over by a police officer is not fun for anyone, and especially for my Black, Latino and other BIPOC friends, it can be an entirely different experience where getting pulled over can literally be life threatening. Still, I was grateful, and I couldn’t help smiling inside because, the whole time this was going on I understood, this was the help I had asked for. It certainly didn’t look like I’d expected. It almost never does.
I put the tickets in the cup holder and drove the three blocks. Then I called the rental company and explained that I would not be driving an illegal car for the remainder of the weekend. They would need to either bring me a new car or take this one back and refund my money. The manager I spoke to was perfectly nice and, when they could not provide another car, he agreed to retrieve the car and refund my money. Fun fact, I never gave them an address of where the car was parked but, when I left at the end of the day, the car was gone.
The rest of the weekend went more smoothly and the whole time I just kept thinking, thank you Angels, Guides, loved ones in spirit and whoever all else is up there looking out for me. Thank you. Thank you for hearing me and thank you for helping me.
It seems like every day, I’m reminding or teaching someone that the more we lean into spirit and the Universe, fully trusting that they are there, watching and waiting to help, if only we will put ourselves to the side and ask, the more they can do to make our lives easier and smooth bumps or obstacles in our way.
It can happen just this fast. It happened in less than one quarter of a mile. I got into the car and a quarter of a mile later the situation had been handled, because I asked them for help and let it go. The more we can lean in and the more we can trust that they really are there, that the Universe IS on our side and wants to help us, the more magic we can welcome into our lives. It sounds easy but it isn’t. It’s hard to let go and have faith something else will happen, especially because that thing that happens is usually right at the end point, not a quarter of a mile into the journey.
I don’t even want to think about what kind of aggravation I might have had to deal with if I had driven this car back to New York City. Instead, I got to enjoy a smooth Uber ride with a perfectly lovely driver that was half the price of what I was seeing when I arrived. In the end, not only did I get, essentially a free ride from New York to New Jersey, the ride back to New York was much less than I had expected and I didn’t have to do the driving. Those who know me well know I don’t love to drive. Though I am perfectly capable, I don’t mind relinquishing that task to others when the opportunity arises.
While asking the Universe (et al) for help isn’t always easy, it is often the easier part of the equation. Letting go of the worry and rumination once you’ve asked, that is much harder. That is an act of faith and usually blind trust. The thing is, like most things, the more we can do it, ask for help and believe it will come, the easier it gets. And, as a bonus, the easier it gets, the more we do it, the more we lean in to believing help will come which somehow seems to increase the amount and kind of help that arrives. It’s an interesting leap of faith and starting small may feel like less of a risk, though I do have a friend who asked for, and received a house, in about twenty minutes!
The important part is just to start. Ask for what you need and trust that something will happen. When it does, don’t brush it off as coincidence. That’s a big buzz kill for those in other realms of existence trying to help. Instead consider choosing gratitude, at the start and at the finish. Here’s what it often looks like for me:
“Thank you for being with me. Thank you for helping with ____ situation. I would love x, y, and z to happen, or something better because I know you can see this better than I can and I know you are always working for my highest and best interests. Thank you again for being with me, helping me and looking out for me every single day.”
Now it’s your turn. Where can you ask the Universe for help? What situation or problem are you trying to handle yourself rather than asking for assistance? From down here, on Earth, everything can look like a mountain or a roadblock, yet from their vantage point they can see our lives more clearly. They have so much ability to help but, accessing it means we have to stop and ask for it. There is no pre-qualification or judgement of the size of the problem. There are no prerequisites. Asking for help finding a parking space is just as valid as asking for help with paying a bill or negotiating any of life’s challenges.
Granted, sometimes the answer is no and there are usually reasons behind that. Perhaps we’re not ready to receive what we’ve asked for, or other things have to happen first. It’s hard to know, especially in the moment. However, one of the mottos of my family is. “If you don’t ask, the answer is surely no, so you might as well ask.”
Believe it or not, it is an act of love and inclusion to ask for help. Our angels and guides are waiting for us to ask. They cannot intervene unless we do and including them shows we value them and welcome their participation in our lives. I am so incredibly grateful because, rather than having to worry about this car all weekend long, and having that be the undercurrent of my weekend, instead I get to tell this wonderful story and remind myself and others how much joy and blessing is literally a thought away, if we will only stop and ask.
What will you ask for? I would love to know!!
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